


Nightmares

by skepticalghouligan



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Brotherly Love, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Hell
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-17
Updated: 2016-01-17
Packaged: 2018-05-14 11:53:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5742868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skepticalghouligan/pseuds/skepticalghouligan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sam is still having trouble handling his nightmares after his soul's release from Hell. Thankfully Dean is there to save the day.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Nightmares

Sam shuddered, twisting on the creaky motel bed. His back arched high and he flopped to the side, wrapping himself tightly in the blanket.

  
He was still a moment, then began to struggle, whimpering and lashing out, attempting to free himself from the blanket, or whatever was binding him in his dream.

  
Dean rose from the other bed where he'd been reading an old lore book. He went to Sam, ducking his fists as he struggled to pin the larger man down. "Sam. Sam!" Dean finally straddled his hips grabbing his shoulders and shaking him hard. "Sammy!"

  
Sam's eyes snapped open and he drew in a shaking breath, his hands going up instinctively. Dean caught his wrists and slid his thumb into Sam's palm, pressing hard against the scar. "It's me, Sam." He said softly, softening the pressure against Sam's palm to a gentle rubbing as Sam's eyes came into focus and his breathing slowed.

  
"Another nightmare?" Sam breathed, his voice hoarse.

  
"You tell me." Dean released him and climbed off him, sitting on the edge of the bed. "They're getting worse." He said softly as Sam rose and grabbed a beer from their cooler.  
"I've got it under control." Sam said, offering a shrug.

  
"No, you don't. Every night now I've had to wake your ass up from a nightmare, of which I can only assume is Hell, and every night they last longer and get more violent, tonight you looked like you were having a damn seizure. So talk to me."

  
Sam met Deans eyes across the room and Dean grimaced. He hated seeing so much pain in his little brother's face. "It's not what's important right now, Dean. I just... It's just dreams... Of what they did to me. You had the same stuff going on when you got out."  
"No, yours is worse. Never compare your time in the pit to mine. Sure, mine sucked. But I was part of an assembly line, just another soul on the rack."

  
"Alistair was determined to make you break."  
"So?" Dean sighed and rose, going to Sam. "I didn't have personal attention for over a hundred years, Sam. Especially not from two pissed off, demented angels. I'd take my time all over again before taking what you went through."

  
"Dean--"  
"Not finished." Dean raised a finger, silencing Sam. "I need you to stop hiding crap from me, got it? Especially this crap. I know you've got Lucifer in your head, but this is me. He will never be me, your brother." Sam tucked his head, picking at the label of the bottle. "Lucifer and the dreams are two different things."

  
"How?"  
"Because you can make Lucifer go away." His scarred hand twitched. "But the nightmares... You can't keep babysitting me when I'm asleep. You need rest, you need to go out and get laid, or whatever... You can't constantly take care of me, so I gotta learn to deal."

  
Dean grabbed Sam's face and tilted it up, getting close to him. "Don't. Ever." He said through gritted teeth. "You know I would die to keep you safe."  
"Yeah, well stop." Sam muttered, trying to pull his head back. Dean's grip tightened, his eyes burning into Sam's face. "Never." He hissed. "Don't you ever ask me to do that, Sammy. I went to hell for you. I became death for you. I gave up Lisa and Ben, for you. You will always be the one I put first. Before my own life. Don't you dare ask me to stop taking care of you. It's what I do, and what I will do, until I get put in that ground for good, understand me?"

  
Sam's eyes softened, a flood of emotions crossing his shadowed face. Guilt, sadness, gratefulness, and that deep, aching agony that had fallen on Sam's brow since he remembered.

  
He reached up with his free hand and curled his fingers over Dean's wrist. His head dropped a little, and Dean saw a few tears begin to fall. He considered cracking a joke about Sam being a girl, but this wasn't the time. Instead, he pulled Sam tight to his body, wrapping his arms around him and not letting go. Sam's body slumped. He set the bottle on the table with a clunk before curling his own large arms around Dean. He buried his face in his shoulder and began to cry, openly, not caring about Dean's probable upcoming teasing.

 

But the teasing never came. No, Dean simply stood there, holding his overgrown baby brother. He rubbed his back in small circles, something Dean has always done to calm a crying Sam when they were tiny.

  
They didn't speak again, because they didn't have to. When Sam finally moved back, wiping his cheeks, Dean smiled. He reached up and brushed his fingers through Sam's hair before going back to the bed.

  
Sam stood silent, watching Dean as he took out a knife, unscrewing his bed from the wall. He moved the nightstand out of the way and pushed the beds together, pulling up the sheets to overlap.

  
Sam's eyes filled with a fresh bout of tears when it clicked as to why this seemed familiar...

 

 

_"No, Dee! I'm scared!" Six year old Sam wrapped himself around Dean's leg. "Why do we gotta?!" Dean sighed and crouched, setting his hands on Sam's shoulders. "Dad thinks we're too old to sleep in the same bed now, Sam. I'm ten, nearly grown up. We can't stay in the same bed forever."  
"Why not?" Sam whined, already perfecting the puppy dog eyes he'd use so much in sixteen years. _

_  
Dean opened his mouth to reply, but had no good answer. Finally, he sighed. "Move, Sammy... I'll make it better. I'll take care of you forever." He set Sam on the chair and went to the beds. He began to push them together, panting and grunting with the weight. Sam jumped up and stood next to him once he understood, pushing with all his might until the beds were butted together._

_  
Dean grabbed the pillows and laid them at in the middle of the beds, jumping on. "Come on, Sammy."_

 

 

Sam jumped to, standing next to Dean and helping him push the heavy bed into place. They gathered their pillows, placing them on one side of the bed so their feet would be facing the door.

  
He jumped on the beds and grinned at Sam, who couldn't help but smile in return as he crawled onto the beds and stretched out next to his brother.

  
Dean rolled to his side and grabbed Sam's t-shirt, tugging him closer. For a moment, Sam thought about teasing Dean for being so sentimental, but he honestly didn't want to risk losing this. So, he wiggled closer to his big brother, resting his head on his chest.  
Dean's fingers were curling through Sam's hair as he finally drifted to sleep. There, wrapped in his protective big brother's arms, Sam had his first nightmare free night.


End file.
